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Rest already will ya?

It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do.  Jerome K Jerome

Ha!  This quote makes the list because I pretty much view idling this way.  I don't know if I can blame it on my Type A nature or what but I can't simply just idle a day away and even if I do manage it I'm still reviewing in my head all the things I need to do the minute I determine the idling is done.
Sheesh Beth, LET IT GO.  Just rest already will ya?
I'm trying, I really am.  But if I decide to watch a movie (idling) I also find something that can be done and needs to be done while watching a movie.  I've been known to chop vegetables, go through junk mail and paper work, fold laundry, etc.  I consider it making good use of time (multi-tasking) but then I'm not idling (resting) I'm just slowing down a bit.  :)
I realize I'm not good at resting.  I don't know how to do it, it makes me feel uncomfortable because I know all that needs or can be done. I feel guilty, I feel useless.  These are feelings created by my Type A personality but also, I believe, by the culture in which I live.  My culture no longer values resting and human interaction (like face to face and voice to voice, none of this social media crap).  And I've gotten sucked in, ever so slowly and subtly, into not valuing resting or extended times of human interaction either.  Ugh.
My Kenyan "framily" has much to teach me about idling and yet being productive.  They are brilliant at both and they value extended times of human interaction yet manage to get much done as well!  Every time I come back from a trip to see them I purpose to instill this mind set into myself and my family life.  I get about a month in and then life in this culture starts sucking away at me again.  Ugh.  But I have to see grace here in my culture for me so I'm attempting to figure out what truly resting looks like, feels like, even sounds like and practice it a little more.  My educated guess, from observation and just that knowing deep down, is that I will end up getting more done when I give myself true rest.
So today, literally, I'm choosing rest.  Really, I'm trying to!

I think today's quote could be read and interpreted a couple of different ways.  This was my take on it.  What about you?  How do you read today's quote and what does it make you think about in regards to rest (idling) and work?  

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